2/13/11 Umphrey's McGee @ The Slowdown - Omaha, NE

Umphrey's McGee
2/13/11
The Slowdown
Omaha, NE

I: In the Kitchen > The Bottom Half, Tribute to the Spinal Shaft > A Go Go, Uncommon, Dump City, Out of Order > Steppin' Razor > Fussy Dutchman

II: Triple Wide > Dreams > Triple Wide > In the Kitchen > Partyin' Peeps, Der Bluten Kat > Comfortably Numb > Der Bluten Kat, Hangover, August

E: 40's Theme


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We were up early and on our way north to Omaha on Sunday morning.  KCMO was my soundtrack for much of the drive.  That may have been my first time on that stretch of I-29 that follows along the big muddy.  For most of the way there is a large bluff on the right hand side when you drive north.  This is where you straddle the midwest and the plains regions.  It was a jumping off point for settlers who traveled the Oregon Trail.  I hung out with Kenny and Maggie during the afternoon.  Before the show I was treated to Frank's Pizzeria which was the culinary highlight of the roadtrip.

The Slowdown was sold out on Sunday night.  I was able to find street parking not far from the venue down by the new baseball stadium and the Qwest Center.  I like the venue a lot.  In some ways it reminds me a nicer version of the Lincoln Hall in Chicago.  The Slowdown has great sound and sightlines.  I found a spot all night in front of the soundboard.  I met some nice folks from Wichita.  They took the stage to Dire Straits Money for Nothing then broke into ITK thus starting up an old school feeling show.  The intimacy at this show will far surpass that which will be offered at UMBowl which is almost 5 times the price.  This was my 132nd UM show and it was good to see so many old faces in the crowd.  The Mayor of Moe.down5 Nebraska Gary perhaps may have been the oldest face that I saw.  It was good to see my friends Joe from Iowa City and LowSoxx.  ITK had an impressive groove to start the show.  The Bottom Half made it two consecutive successful improvisational jaunts.  Tribute to the Spinal Shaft was one of the best versions I've heard in years and brought me back to my earliest shows at the Union Bar.  This led into the John Schofield instrumental A Go Go.  Uncommon is a song that I have heard people hate but I actually enjoy.  Once again it kept with the older school theme.  Joel dedicated Dump City to Counciltucky.  This was perhaps the highlight of this excellent set.  Stasik started up some nice work and they brought it back to the Dump City ending fairly smoothly.  OoO continued this energetic retro setlist and this transitioned into the Peter Tosh cover Steppin' Razor.  Cummins showed his hand fairly early regarding the reggae segue into Fussy Dutchman which would close out one of the most cohesive sets of Umphrey's McGee I've ever seen. 

After a brief setbreak they started up the Triple Wide which I had expected the last several shows.  This dance session would not disappoint and would include a very off the cuff version of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac that was basically Jake on vocals only with the rest of them continuing the upbeat groove.  This was complete with a Rhiannon tease during Dreams.  Eventually they would return briefly to Triple Wide before going back into the conclusion of In the Kitchen which had started the evening.  Without stopping they began Partyin' Peeps which is a song that I've long since grown tired of but on this occasion the guitar interplay between Jake and BB was incredible. DBK was another song I felt was going to be played and this was a fairly straightforward version with a nicely done Pink Floyd cover in the middle.  There was a jam before the end part of DBK.  Hangover is another tune that isn't my favorite but it worked since the band was finishing its 5th show in 5 nights.  August capped off another old school feeling set and this version had a jam that built to a huge peak.  40's Theme was an appropriate call to wrap up a turn back the clock show that really made me a believer of Umphrey's McGee again.  This was definitely the best show I've seen from them in quite some time.  They played Burnin' Down the House on the PA system after the show.  It would have been nice to pick up the UMLive on my way out the door.  After the show I made the drive across Iowa and was home as the sun was coming up.

http://www.archive.org/details/um2011-02-13.ck61

2/12/11 Umphrey's McGee @ Liberty Hall - Lawrence, KS

Umphrey's McGee

2/12/11

Liberty Hall

Lawrence, KS

I: Wappy Sprayberry > FF, Who Knows, Mail Package, Mail Package, Morning Song, Go to Hell, Dear Prudence, Rocker pt. II

II: Preamble > Mantis, Nemo > We're Going to War > Nemo, Professor Wormbog, 1348, Phil's Farm > Sweet Dreams/Sun Glasses at Night > Phil's Farm, Miss Tinkle's Overture

E: 2nd Self > The Floor

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The sun was shining and the weather was warmer than it had been in weeks melting some of the midwest snow.  The drive from the Quad Cities to Des Moines is a stretch of highway I know all too well from my college days at Iowa State.  Today my ala mater lost down in Lawrence, KS to the newly presumed #1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks.  The college students in attendance at the show this evening were in rowdy spirits.  I found prime parking on Massachusetts and walked across the bridge to the Phantasy Tour meetup coordinated by Bobbyluv at Johnny's Tavern.  Earlier in the day I questioned whether I had the motivation to make this 6+ hour drive for a band that I was seeing for the 131th time.  Once I was in the company of some of my favorite music friends I knew that I had indeed made the correct decision.

Umphrey's McGee hit the stage around 9:30 to a sold out Liberty Hall with Renegade by Styx on the PA.  It had been exactly 7 years to the day when I had last been at this venue for moe.  From a visual standpoint it is similiar to the Vic Theatre in Chicago with space aged murals painted on the walls.  Wappy Sprayberry out of the chute was a geysor of energy and spawned some of the night's most successful musical communication.  Finally they settled into FF which contained more improvisation this time moving into a brief cover of Who Knows by the Band of Gypsys.  Mail Package included an extended intro tease before starting the actual song.  Morning Song was one of the most soulful moments of the night.  I had heard them soundchecking Go the Hell which is basically Cold Smoke without lyrics.  The crowd reaction was very positive following that one.  Cinninger's guitar sounded like a chainsaw.  I hadn't heard Dear Prudence since last fall in Pittsburgh.  They was well done besides Jake adding Eddie Van Halen style licks.  Rocker pt. II was another highlight of the set and this was a different approach to what they did with it on NYE.  This included a They Love Each Other tease by Jake which was appropriate with Valentine's Day on the horizon. 

It was easy to recognize the opening notes of the Preamble to Mantis.  This was a well played version.  Nemo transitioned into the Mark Knopfler cover We're Going to War.  The jam before the return to Nemo was a major highlight of the night.  This was a dance groove driven by Stasik.  I would consider this rendition of Professor Wormbog to be one of the best I've ever heard.  1348 continues to be the strongest song off the Mantis album in the the live setting.  I felt the show lagged a bit during the Phil's > mashup > Phil's sammy.  That was really nothing to write home about.  A decent Miss Tinkle's finished off the set. 

Jeff Waful was on point with his lighting all night long per usual.  I had no issues with the new soundman's mix.  I wasn't wild about the PA music which ran the gamut from Guns 'N Roses to Hall & Oates but that is a trivial matter.  I guess I miss seeing Kevin Browning because he was such an integral part of their road team since I started seeing them in 2001.  On a related note where was Don Richards?  Is he still their road manager?  This was a good show, not the greatest I've seen.  The jam after We're Going to War and Wormbog were the clear cut highlights.  After the show I stayed at the Holiday Inn with Kenny, Maggie, and Dave who are my friends from Omaha. 



http://www.archive.org/details/um2011-02-12.flac16